Old letters: Bit writes to her Mother

I have been sewing my fingers off for a week trying frantically to get my new Renaissance costume ready for closing weekend of Sherwood Forest. Which is this weekend. My friend Melissa and I are going to dress up together and head out there with her boys tomorrow. My dress still needs trim on the skirt, trim on the chemise cuffs, elastic in the chemise cuffs, and grommets in the bodice. I have to get it all done tonight.

So in order to get my mind off of the costume for a bit, I've decided it's time for a new Old Letters post. In this one, Bit writes to her Mother. Where Bit is writing from and where Mother lives, I don't know. The envelope didn't come with the letter. But I can guess that Bit is writing from Virginia, since she's sending her mother a card of Mount Vernon. And there's no date on the postcard, but Bit mentions rain from Camille, and my friend Google tells me that Hurricane Camille happened in August of 1969. BRILLIANT. THAT'S WHAT I AM. BRILLIANT.

[FROM: Bit, somewhere in Virginia; TO: Mother, location unknown / August 1969]

Dear Mother:

Thanks so very much for the $15 for the trivets and spoons. Needless to say, I haven't gotten around to purchasing them, but will when things settle down a little bit. 

I surely did enjoy having you visit, and hated to see you go, but I guess you had to. The weather has been very pleasant except for 2 weeks of Camille rain. It's bright and in the upper eighties. 

Mrs. Stratton will work on the Henry line if you'll send a copy of Grandma's [?] letter. She keeps asking for some dope. 

 I guess everybody is back in school now which is a relief. I guess I told you we're going to a convention (Shrine) in Baltimore Sept 11, 12, & 13. That will be about the time of our anniversary, so it should be fun!

David will go to Governor's Island for 3 months to Storekeeper's school, and then to OCS in Feb. if everything goes according to his plan. 

Roy is doing fine. This is his good time of year business wise, so his spirits are good. Has anybody been given their moving papers yet? I hope you can get what you need to get re-established. Isn't Sonny helping you find another place? Looks as if you should be able to find something in University Hills. I still think you should try to build a duplex. Call Hawks [?] Campbell when you get ready. Thanks again.

Love, Bit

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Aww, how sweet of her mom to give her money for spoons and trivets. When I first read this letter, I got the impression of a young wife trying to make a nice home for herself and her family. Not a newly wed, but in her first few years of marriage. Yet, in transcribing it here, I started to wonder if David and Roy are her sons, or if one is her husband and the other her son. Either way, it sounds like she has grown kids, so I suppose she's been married for a while.

Okay, let's talk about that $15 for trivets and spoons. I checked the inflation calculator and $15 from 1969 would be around $95 today! Wow. That's a lot of trivets and spoons. How many could a girl possibly need??

Mrs. Stratton asking for dope all the time, hahahaha. Sign of the times for 1969, I suppose.

I wonder what the Henry line is. I wonder what happened that Bit's mother needs to find a new place to live and get re-established. I wonder if University Hills is the University Hills in Austin. 

Well, those are my really bland observations on a pretty bland letter. After the drama of Freddie and Mattie Cagle, everything else seems to pale a bit in comparison. Let's hope the next old letter will be more exciting.